Phoebe Hirsch
Encyclopedia
Phoebe Hirsch is a former member of Students for a Democratic Society (1960 organization)
(SDS) and Weatherman (organization)
(WUO).
in New York City in 1968. SDS used the riots to pursue confronting two issues with Columbia University; the proposed building of the university gym in Harlem
that would not benefit the largely poor, African-American population; and the involvement of the University with the Institute for Defense Analysis who provided research that the military used in Vietnam. She was employed in the SDS National Office located in Chicago, Illinois from June to August, 1969.
and the world revolution. The last speech encouraged members to walk to the Drake Hotel, which was the home of Federal Judge Julius Hoffman. Judge Hoffman was presiding judge at the Chicago 8 trial. Hirsch was arrested with members Cathlyn Platt Wilkerson
, Michael Spiegel, Mark Rudd
and other demonstrators who pleaded guilty to mob-action charges. Hirsch participated in a leading role from Chicago, for the Venceremos Brigade
. She provided arrangements to send SDS members to Cuba to help cut sugar cane for the 1970 harvest.
Hirsch was one of many SDS members who attended the "War Council" in Flint, Michigan
on December 27–31, 1969. This was the last public meeting of SDS members before splintering off to form Weatherman.
Students for a Democratic Society (1960 organization)
Students for a Democratic Society was a student activist movement in the United States that was one of the main iconic representations of the country's New Left. The organization developed and expanded rapidly in the mid-1960s before dissolving at its last convention in 1969...
(SDS) and Weatherman (organization)
Weatherman (organization)
Weatherman, known colloquially as the Weathermen and later the Weather Underground Organization , was an American radical left organization. It originated in 1969 as a faction of Students for a Democratic Society composed for the most part of the national office leadership of SDS and their...
(WUO).
Early Education and Activism
Phoebe Hirsch attended the University of Wisconsin in the 1960s. Hirsch participated with SDS during the riots at Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York City in 1968. SDS used the riots to pursue confronting two issues with Columbia University; the proposed building of the university gym in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
that would not benefit the largely poor, African-American population; and the involvement of the University with the Institute for Defense Analysis who provided research that the military used in Vietnam. She was employed in the SDS National Office located in Chicago, Illinois from June to August, 1969.
SDS Activities
A series of protest demonstrations called "Days of Rage" in Chicago, Illinois took place on October 8–11, 1969. The purpose of the "Days of Rage" was to encourage and show strength of the SDS organization, and bring in new members, to participate in revolutionary violence against the Vietnam War. Members gathered at Grant Park to listen to SDS leaders' speeches about Che GuevaraChe Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
and the world revolution. The last speech encouraged members to walk to the Drake Hotel, which was the home of Federal Judge Julius Hoffman. Judge Hoffman was presiding judge at the Chicago 8 trial. Hirsch was arrested with members Cathlyn Platt Wilkerson
Cathlyn Platt Wilkerson
Cathlyn Platt Wilkerson , known as Cathy Wilkerson, is an American radical who was a member of the 1970s radical group called the Weather Underground . She came to the attention of the police when she was leaving the townhouse belonging to her father after it was destroyed by an explosion on March...
, Michael Spiegel, Mark Rudd
Mark Rudd
Mark William Rudd is a political organizer, mathematics instructor, and anti-war activist, most well known for his involvement with the Weather Underground. Rudd became a member of the Columbia University chapter of Students for a Democratic Society in 1963. By 1968, he had emerged as a leader...
and other demonstrators who pleaded guilty to mob-action charges. Hirsch participated in a leading role from Chicago, for the Venceremos Brigade
Venceremos Brigade
The Venceremos Brigade is a politically motivated international organization founded in 1969 by members of the Students for a Democratic Society and officials of the Republic of Cuba...
. She provided arrangements to send SDS members to Cuba to help cut sugar cane for the 1970 harvest.
Hirsch was one of many SDS members who attended the "War Council" in Flint, Michigan
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
on December 27–31, 1969. This was the last public meeting of SDS members before splintering off to form Weatherman.